Architect as extrovert

Many new architecture firms get founded by a duo of architects with a complimentary skill set. They call one the “Practice Partner,” whose job it is to run the business and court new clients. The other is called the “Professional Partner,” whose job it is to actually do the architecture.

Presumably, the Practice Partner has people skills because she must deal with personnel issues within the office and sell the firm to clients. Presumably, the Professional Partner, therefore, doesn’t. He keeps his bottom in the seat and his head bent over the drawings and/or computer screen. He talks to the clients once they’ve been hooked, for the purposes of figuring out what they want, but isn’t expected to be an extrovert.

One thing that surprised me the most about the real-life practice of architecture is that, in fact, it does require us to be extroverts. Throw out your stereotypes about the wimpy architect in the bow tie, or the broody artistic architect in his lair! If you are to be good at architect, you must learn to seek people out and talk to them.

It’s due to one simple fact: Modern buildings are too complex for the architect to do it all. We are not the artist/master-builder anymore. We are now the nexus of a network of people, and the one who must tap all those people at just the right time.

It turns out, the security consultant isn’t going to call you up when it’s time for his input. You have to seek him out.

It turns out that when two other team members aren’t getting along, they aren’t going to inform you. They’ll just stop working. You won’t even realize it until a week or two have gone by without movement on an issue unless you are proactively calling people and asking for updates.

In previous firms, I frequently heard what can only be described as belly-aching. Whining about how the client isn’t doing this or that. The mechanical engineer isn’t responsive. Or my favorite: Some variation of, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t even know what the chain of command is in my project.” Believe it or not, I even had a colleague who sat two desks from his boss and complains bitterly that his boss hasn’t bothered to give him a performance review in two years.

Wow. You sat two desks away from him for two years and complained that he’s ignoring you? This is not a problem I’ve ever had in my entire life. That’s because I’m an extrovert.

Why am I known as the one person who can get an issue done when it’s languished in all over hands? Because I’ll call everyone and his mother (read: assistant), twice a day, until it’s done. Also, I’m more organized that most people.

Why do people ask me to deal with certain “difficult” consultants for them? Because I’m the one who will listen to *certain* people rant and yell about something, while filing my nails, and then when they are done I will tell them I absolutely know what they mean–yes, it’s totally ridiculous–and nonetheless I’m going to need that by Friday or all hell will break loose.

Why did I advance faster than my peers? Because I ask questions all the time. I’m not afraid to ask a dumb question because my self esteem is intact.

Don’t be afraid of people. You can’t be afraid to pick up the phone first, and follow up with a well-written email. For instance, I once had a colleague who was just terrified of the client. He thinks his client is dishonest and sneaky, and just waiting for a reason to fire the firm. He won’t ask any questions for fear of angering the client, so he cowers at his desk waiting for something to happen.

To contrast, my attitude is that if someone really is a sneaky, bad person, I’d rather it come to light sooner than later. Usually, people aren’t bad; they’re busy and there’s been a misunderstanding. But if they are bad, it’s better to waste less time in finding out. So ask the tough questions.

To keep this messy network of people rolling toward the end goal, you have to:

Know every player and their idiosyncrasies

Never be afraid of anyone (at least fake it)

Know what you’re talking about

Ask the dumb questions

Get a headset because you’ll be on the phone all the live-long-day

This stuff is true in every phase of the project. There is never a moment in architecture when you aren’t collaborating with other people, which means being brave enough to ask for what you need. Reference boiled architecture

Many components of Oil & Gas industry require accurate maps for decision making. Landmen require maps in all aspects of their work. GIS applications in Land management help clients as well as Landowners. For land owners it is easy of visualize a rig location & clients can get immediate status reports on their work.

Information derived from the Data includes:

Geological Evaluation

Lease checks

Title summaries with Mineral Ownership

Lease Purchases

Unit Designations and Division Orders

Well Staking with Pad Site, Gathering Lines, and Lease Roads.

GIS captures, stores, analyzes, manages and presents data that is linked to a particular location.

Centralized, easy callable, long term storage and retrievable of data and information

Can act as a model or planning tool for future development

Can find out by merging layers if there is an inadvertent construction planned in the area

Allows you to ask the map a question to get a Database answer. (E.g. Property owner?)

Allows you ask database a question to get the answer in Map format. (E.g. Lease expiration dates?)

GIS is rapidly becoming an applications platform that encompasses the entire lifecycle of the Petroleum sector. Since the arrival of GIS, ‘onscreen’ maps is almost like a real time document. All your adds, changes, and deletes are reflected in the onscreen maps. Reference Geoshot

Still wondering what is BIM and the benefit of BIM services?

BIM (building modeling information) is the much talked about topic these days in the AEC industry. You may get different definitions of BIM from various sources. While some people say BIM is a type of software, others say it is the 3D virtual model of buildings. According to some experts, it is nothing but collecting and organizing all building data into a structure database. In short, we can say BIM is all the above and sometimes some more. But, in simple sentence, BIM is the means by which everybody can understand a building through the use of a digital model.

BIM is a new way of approaching the design and documentation of construction projects.

Building: BIM consider the entire life-cycle of the building such as design, build and operations

Information: It includes all information about the building and its life-cycle

Modeling: BIM defines and stimulates the building, its operation using integrate tools and its delivery

BIM model, if explained in layman’s term, consists of the virtual equivalents of the actual building parts and pieces that are used to build a building. BIM elements have both the physical and logical characteristics of their real counterparts. In other words, BIM elements are the digital prototype of the physical building elements like columns, windows, walls, doors and stairs etc. These elements help us to understand its behavior in a computer environment way before the real construction work starts.

BIM can be called as an intelligent model-based process, as it helps you plan, design, construct and manage buildings and infrastructure more accurate and precise. BIM services enables the construction industry more innovative and competent by providing the right information at the right time. The construction industry is nowadays undergoing its very own digital revolution with the help of this unique way of working with BIM. But what is very important is that all team members should be working to the same standards as one another, as the complete benefit of BIM gets only from the combined efforts of people process and technology.

The users list several advantages of BIM services for various stages of a construction work such as scheduling, estimation, risk analysis, more collaborative process and effective facility management. With the help of BIM services, project parties can understand and review the design more easily, visualize and evaluate alternatives in terms of cost and other project parameters. As it gives the opportunity to find out solutions in advance prior to building the structure on site, the construction firm can ensure guarantee in accuracy and completeness. It also enhances communication between project parties.

Even though the use of BIM in engineering and construction is not new, its growth rate becomes clear, when you look at the increasing number of construction firms who use this new system. It is not only the number of project teams who adopt BIM, but the size of the average model has also increased over the past five years.

The advent of mobile technologies like iPhones/iPads etc. expands the accessibility of BIM to a wide area out of the close circle of professionals. Today, clients, operators and building owners get more and more access to BIM models through their mobile devices. Reference bimforum know more then contact us.

A pipeline data model is of significance to an organization. It is a representation of any organizations deployment of data. A standard data model is needed for the below reasons:

A data model is like a basic framework for a GIS to be built for pipelines.

A data model provides a structured design for the storage, maintenance and use of information.

Acts as an enabler to the software selection process. Provides a starting point for the organization.

Provides implementation strategies, proof of concept and best practices to the industry.

Provides interoperability between companies and better support to integration activities.

Pipeline data models in use:

PODS – Pipeline Open Data Model – provides Pipeline Operators a highly-scalable database architecture to integrate critical records and analysis data with geospatial location for each component of your pipeline system in a vendor-neutral platform.

APDM – ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model – The ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model is designed for storing information pertaining to features and conditions found on or along gathering and transmission gas and/or liquid pipelines.

ISAT – The efforts to develop an industry-standard pipeline data model began in 1994 with the development of the Integrated Spatial Analysis Techniques (ISAT) pipeline data model project.ISAT was designed to be customizable and has been expanded for numerous clients to support data integration, field data collection, one-call, right-of-way, environmental, marketing, risk assessment, and pipeline integrity applications. Reference Geoshot for know more contact us.

Whether you are a private home owner, architect, or developer, our team is ready to produce your project quickly, easily, and affordably, with the most beautiful, stunning image quality. We enable developers and builders to pre-sell their projects faster, by providing them with powerful marketing tools, renderings, and 3D animations. Reference Geoshot

Nowadays the Indian Real estate business world is more characterized as being competitive, challenging and complex. We must consider three major competitive advantages which can help an organization to increase sales develop productivity and therefore competitiveness – price, quality and improved customer service.

Customer service can serve to increase your customer’s loyalty and to provide a customer with successful relationship management, it may not result in new customers. If a customer has never worked with a firm before, how will they know that you are able to provide them with excellent customer service? This leaves us with quality. And what would one good way for architecture, real estate, engineering, design and marketing industries to improve the quality of their services?

The answer would be 3D Visualization.

3D Visualization has changed the dynamics, planning and control of construction, developers and engineering industries for the better. By availing of 3D rendering services, engineering and construction companies can bring about huge improvements in efficiency, efficacy and in reducing costs and time. Solid modeling shortens design cycles, streamlines manufacturing processes and accelerates product introductions and its presence on the market which is very much beneficial in Indian real estate market where you need to hit the costumers at the right time and with the right marketing material.

In architecture, real estate and design industries, 3D views offer architects and planners to view the construction and interiors even before a single brick is laid. The result is dramatically lower costs since costly changes do not have to be made at the construction stage. Clients of building projects can also get to view how such projects may look like before investing in them. What’s more, 3D rendering can be published online, making them available to a wide range of customers across the world.

Finally with advertising, marketing, graphic and web designer companies the ultimate purpose of 3D visualization is either to help advertise their own business or to help advertise their customers’ business.

It is our opinion that the main 3D rendering customers (by other words, the main industries which could benefit from 3D visualization, as 3D renderings improve the quality of their services and products) are:

Oil & Gas industry known for its indulgence in technology, has been using GIS for many purposes related to planning, strategy and decision making. A fully integrated GIS system has benefits not just in terms of cost saving but a better preparedness for future planning and potential hazards. We have listed down some important benefits of GIS in Oil & Gas industry, feel free to comment and add.

• Data visualization maps Data in the form of digital maps reduce the work time for Oil & Gas companies. Such maps help improve operational efficiency and better coordination in day to day operations.

• Site monitoring through flying sensorsTo plan a major change and to oversee a particular site, flying sensors are deployed nowadays. The survey gets you updated information and visuals of the site to check the development.

• Pipe line routing & monitoringIn the capital intensive Oil & Gas industry, finding the least expensive and environment friendly route for pipe lines is very important. GIS goes a long way in helping decide the optimum route.

• Tracking of mobile assets like ships, vehicles and boatsIn order to save time and achieve effective operational coordination and efficiency, tracking of movable assets for Oil & Gas firms becomes essential. GIS is useful in tracking these assets.

• Emergency responseIn the wake of an unfortunate oil spill/explosion/accident of any nature, rescue plans and disaster mitigation efforts get the boost of GIS for more effective coordination and efforts.

• Land managementAttributes stored in GIS allow the companies to maintain all the land management data, which helps in generating reports for audit and compliance.

• Environmental monitoringTo accurately monitor environment development and changes is very important, consideration of such changes in decision making process helps avoid potential disaster. Monitoring gradual changes can help the industry in determining measures to overcome future challenges and ensure business continuity.

BIM and Sustainability :

In today’s fragmented world of highly specialised expertise in narrow fields we risk losing sight of these aims. The paradigm of sustainability is simply an effort to bring these aims back into focus. Daniel Lindahl identifies five broad areas of focus for sustainable building…

What is Sustainability? At is simplest, living within your means, or not taking on debts you are unable to pay back. More broadly, for us all as a community (local and global) living in a way that has no adverse impact on our planet, i.e. living within our global means. It’s all about sensitive appropriate design. However, it needs a pragmatic approach as the path to sustainability may take several unexpected turns and the aims of sustainability are sometimes at odds with each other.

This article will deal mostly with good architectural practice, and will only touch on BIM where this facilitates good sustainable building design.

In 1972 Welsh architect Alex Gordon wrote about the need for “Long Life, Loose Fit, Low Energy”; Today this would translate to sustainability, flexibility and energy efficiency. His paper crystallised the counter-culture reaction to corporate excesses in the 70’s, and though largely forgotten today, helped bring the concept of sustainability into today’s mainstream thinking.

I have here identified these five broad areas of focus for sustainable building and will elaborate on them in more detail: context, labour, materials, operation and longevity. However, as there is no preset template for sustainable design this article is really more of a checklist of the aspects of a building project that should be considered with a view to achieving sustainable outcomes.

CONTEXT

The Local EnvironmentChoosing the right site for the project is one of the most important aspects of a project. The building needs to fit in with the terrain so that cut and fill is avoided, minimised, and equalised to avoid the need to carry soil to or from the site during construction. There should be minimal disruption to natural water flows and the ground water table. This can be achieved through sensitive design where minimal paved areas which are highly permeable, and retaining roof water in tanks or dams on the site for garden or other non-potable use.

Careful assessment of existing flora and fauna where this is relevant is also necessary and existing vegetation and wildlife corridors need to be preserved where possible. It is important to analyse the local microclimate to make best use of the local breezes, sunlight, and rainfall for passive climate control as well as power generation. There are many buzzwords in this vein around the theme of sustainable design, such as “biophilia” and “green building”, but really it all amounts to building in harmony with nature.

The Local CommunityA new building, its function, and occupants, also needs to exist in harmony with its neighbours. Sustainability requires a symbiotic relationship between the different parts of a neighbourhood. Shops, services, and other commercial enterprises function better if they complement each other rather than being in direct competition. Community well-being and harmony comes from shared values and sensibilities though this should not negate the need to challenge established and unquestioned norms from time to time.

The Local InfrastructureExisting water supply, waste disposal, transportation network, power and telecommunication utilities are often inadequate for large projects and need to be augmented. In other areas these services can exceed demand. Fitting the projects location to services that already exist as well as adopting alternatives that reduce dependence on such services is an important aspect of sustainability.

I believe that in the future this is an aspect of town planning that can greatly benefit from BIM, through the integration of all the BIM databases for the various projects within a community.

LABOUR

Site LogisticsThe construction process needs to be carried out with minimal disruption to the surrounding community, and in such a way that pollution in the form of dust, silt and noise is reduced to a minimum or eliminated completely.

Site access, on-site storage of materials, means of moving building components in place, all need to be carefully planned to minimise handling time, effort, and cost. Some BIM-software programs are now capable of generating construction animations to explore alternatives for cranage and other site logistics. This is as yet little used in projects to date, but offers great scope for making better project planning decisions.

Existing Local ResourcesEmploying workers from the local labour pool for a project will reduce commute times, travel costs and the associated carbon emissions. It will also enhance project buy-in and support from the local community.

Procurement MethodsWhile procurement methods may seem to have little to do with sustainability, competitive tendering is by its nature adversarial and wasteful of human resources in the bidding process, and does little to foster harmony. It also encourages cutting corners and promotes a focus on short term gain, rather than the long term thinking needed for true sustainability.

Non-adversarial procurement methods such as negotiated contracts, partnering, alliances, are more collaborative and encourages all in the team to think about long-term gains.

MATERIALS

Non-toxicIt would seem obvious that building materials should be non-toxic. However, over the years more and more of the materials in common use have been found to be harmful. Among these are: lead, asbestos, arsenic, as well as many plastics still in common use such as BPA and PVC. These create high levels of toxic pollutants either in production, installation, or ongoing use. The pollutants are chemical wastes in production, off-gassing of paints and vinyls through their early life, as well as release of dioxins in fires or disposal.

There is currently strong debate about whether PVC should be banned, and some countries have already begun to do so. It is one of the most common plastics used in buildings, chiefly in the form of plumbing pipes, insulation, siding but also many other items. Of particular concern in all plastics is the use of volatile carcinogenic halogens, chiefly chlorine, bromine and fluorine.

RenewableRenewable building materials are mainly: timber, grass and palm-leaves (for thatched roofs), and fabric from natural fibres. Non-renewable building materials are: extractive minerals such as steel, copper and aluminium, stone, clay in the form of bricks and tiles, glass (from sand), and petrochemicals that go into plastics and synthetic fibres.

At its simplest level, renewable sources are preferable to non-renewable, but there are many nuances to this. Tropical hardwoods can almost be classified as a non-renewable material, since cutting them and bringing them to market causes widespread environmental damage and their regrowth is much slower than the rate of harvesting. Stone, clay, and sand are plentiful, so their use as building materials is not likely to ever cause any depletion, and their non-renewable status can largely be discounted.

DurableMost renewable materials are subject to various forms of decay, mainly in the form of rot, insect attack, decomposition, wear, UV breakdown due to sun exposure, or dilapidation caused by gravity in sagging structures. If exposed to weather they usually need applied finishes to extend their service life. However, many of such applied finishes have a degree of toxicity, and the need to regularly re-apply the finish makes this a less sustainable solution.

Non-renewable materials are often more durable and usually do not need applied finishes. However, some of the softer materials can still be subject to abrasion due to wind, sand, rain, regular use, and dilapidation from earthquakes or subsidence, as well as corrosion in the case of metals.

The greater durability of non-renewable materials will sometimes tip the scales in their favour for a sustainable outcome.

Embodied EnergyEmbodied energy can be thought of in two ways. Natural embodied energy is the energy stored in carbon-based products such as timber. This is generally beneficial for sustainable building as new growth plantation timber sequesters a lot of CO2 through photosynthesis and when it is used more new growth takes its place.

However, in the context of sustainability the term embodied energy usually means the energy input required first in the extraction: fuel for mining, forestry machinery, cutting; secondly in the processing and manufacture: production of metals from ore, steel sheet and beams from iron, cement from lime, bricks from clay, milling of timber; thirdly transportation costs; and last, the energy required to trim, work, and use those materials in the construction project.

These types of embodied energy, particularly transportation over great distances, are often a decisive factor in evaluating sustainability.

Waste MinimisationThe extent of raw materials used in a project can be reduced significantly at several levels in their journey from nature to components in the finished building. With good foresight and planning waste can be minimized in the manufacturing process, in the extraction, the milling, and in the determination of optimal milled or manufactured unit sizes,

Similarly foresight and planning for waste reduction at the project level can be achieved through the architect’s determination of design dimensions and patterns to make full use of boards and sheets as marketed, and in the intelligent use of off-cuts in the project for smaller components. The only limit to this is the designer’s imagination.

Often builders burn all off-cuts in the project clean-up at the end of the job. This is a practice that needs to be eliminated, as it not only wastes resources, but creates pollutants.

OPERATION

Energy Analysis

One of the most critical aspects of sustainable design is in planning for low energy use in the ongoing operation of the building. A thorough evaluation of design options and materials used in regard to orientation, heat transmission, heat retention, natural cooling and ventilation, and daylighting, will assist in optimising the design.

Today’s BIM-software programs can greatly facilitate this. ArchiCAD has a built-in energy evaluation functionality with detailed calculations of heat transmission, and infiltration for all building operation types, materials, openings, shading devices, orientation and location. This program tool has direct links to all region specific climatic data, evaluating different HVAC options, calculating energy consumption, costs and CO2 emissions over a year. Revit has conceptual energy analysis tools which give a broad analysis of the impact of various building forms. For more detailed analysis at the materials level there are also external plug-in programs available.

Clean, renewable energy sources have been around for a long time. Long before electricity was harnessed for power, water wheels and windmills were used to grind flour and mill timber. Waterwheels evolved into hydroelectric power, the mainstay of power generation in the early days. Solar hot water generation has also now been in use for several decades.

Today’s resurgence of interest in clean energy sources has led to great developments in technology and advances are made in the use of clean wind powered energy, photovoltaic solar power cells, wave energy, as well as capping of garbage dumps to generate methane fuel from waste. There are also many new developments in the use of daylighting for offices and other deep plate buildings. By the means of light shelves, tubes, or other devices, natural day light is reflected and directed to all working areas, eliminating the need for electric lighting in the daytime.

There will no doubt be several further developments in all these directions. The aim is for communities to be self-sustaining in clean power generation, and we are finally getting to the point where this is looking achievable.

There are also several active climate control systems, most notably air conditioning. These cannot be regarded as parts of the arsenal for sustainable building due to their heavy use of electricity. However, there have been several noteworthy developments towards energy conservation among these, and today’s heat pumps are far more efficient than the AC systems of a few decades ago.

Other innovations in active systems include smart glass which can be electrically controlled to become opaque and block out light, intelligent building systems which sense the number of occupants in a space and adjusting the climate control accordingly, geothermal space heating which circulates water through boreholes up to 200m down into bedrock tapping the higher core temperatures at that level, and heat exchange ventilation systems which heat up the incoming fresh air with the outgoing stale air.

Operational Logistics and ManagementFor a building to continue to function in a sustainable manner all aspects of how it is being used on an ongoing basis need to be carried out with that vision in mind.

Its supplies should be locally sourced, and easily and logically stored and accessed. Waste disposal needs to be easily managed, making full use of recycling, composting, and reuse. The building’s passive and active systems also need monitoring and regular cleaning and maintenance.

A good passive system can easily be rendered useless through the occupants’ ignorance of its function. One good example of this is a case where the architect came back to a building after some time to find the daylighting system was not working as expected. The light shelf near the top of the windows, which was to reflect light back to the ceiling further into the building was now filled with a long row of books!

SimplicityA complex design is rarely optimal. Good planning and design with open permeable spaces and related functional areas grouped together is usually best achieved through simple, easily read solutions.

LONGEVITY

AdaptabilityThis is where the ‘loose fit’ paradigm comes into play. When planning for a particular use it’s a good idea to always consider the possibility of future changed use. Make spaces slightly more than minimum requirements. Design more for optimising materials use and site use than for minimum functional use.

Accommodate future changed practices, the incorporation of new technology, and multi-purpose spaces. A narrow passage, for instance, is simply a dead transition space. With 0.5m extra width it can be a library. This kind of thinking should be applied in all space planning.

ScalablePlan for growth. Make provision for future expansion sideways and upwards. Bear in mind that property values always grow faster in the heart of our cities, and a building that will not accommodate growth and increased site density will become obsolete much sooner than expected.

AccessibilityPlan for full accessibility by all potential interest groups, not just for what current legislation requires. Disability standards are frequently updated, and it’s a good idea to do some private research and experimentation to discover what actually works.

Infrastructure Present / FutureService runs within the building should be simple, well documented and easily accessed for future changes and maintenance. Try to also discover or anticipate any future changes to surrounding roads, transportation network and service grids.

ResilienceFor a long life it goes without saying that a building needs to have a sound structure, able to withstand use and weather without knocks, wear, dilapidation and aging. However, a sustainable design would also factor in the ease of dismantling the structure and other building components in the future, when demolition or alterations become inevitable.

In the 70’s many office buildings were erected with in-situ post-tensioned concrete beams and floor plates to achieve larger spans. Many of these would now be nearing the end of their useful life, but their demolition is problematic as the built-in stresses would be explosive and difficult to control.

Risk MitigationBuilding codes usually cover this, though sometimes inadequately. Good sustainable design needs to factor in all potential risks such as fire, storm, or earthquakes, as well as other personal hazards like slippage, falls, and injuries.

CONCLUSIONWhat I have outlined above is what I would hope most architects would consider self-evident aims of good design for all time. In today’s fragmented world of highly specialised expertise in narrow fields we risk losing sight of these aims. The paradigm of sustainability is simply an effort to bring these aims back into focus.

I have only mentioned BIM in passing, but would add here that the collaborative nature of BIM is the perfect vehicle for restoring this big picture thinking to all the experts working on their specialised parts of a project, and serves to maintain that vision. Reference Daniel Lindahl

Dynamo for Rebar is now available! CORE Studio’s third open source Dynamo package – Dynamo for Rebar – has been released this week. It provides a parametric interface for Revit’s 2016 Rebar API, which allows for the creation of single reinforcing bar elements and rebar container elements in Revit. Dynamo for Rebar enables iterative, parametric rebar design inside of Dynamo 0.8.2 and Revit 2016.

Dynamo for Rebar is an Open-Source project available on github and Dynamo’s package manager. The library contains a set of nodes helping you to create bars and containers in Revit, and provides a set of nodes for creating the base curvature of single bars or entire rebar containers.

Rebar Nodes

The nodes in this group are specific to the Revit 2016 Rebar API. They are the core nodes in the package that allow for parametric rebar design in Dynamo. The utility nodes and nodes for curve generation (outlined below) are designed to work well with these rebar nodes.

Create RebarCreates one single bar element in Revit from a curve and and a series of rebar properties.

Create Rebar ContainerCreates a rebar container element from a list of curves and a series of rebar properties. The use of containers is highly encouraged as Revit can get bogged down by thousands of rebar family instances in your model. Containers are like groups of rebars in a single family instance.

The nodes in this package for creating curves are powerful tools on their own; they allow the user to parameterize any surface in Dynamo, and create curves along it for any use downstream. Of course one good downstream use is the creation of rebar containers, but it’s up to you!

Curves following a surfaceThis node creates a set of curves following the geometry of a selected surface (most polysurfaces will also work). It divides the surface in one dimension – either U or V – regularly. You can define the number of divisions (or optionally, a distance to divide the surface by), and the direction of the curves.

Curves morphing between two curvesThis node creates a set of morphed curves between two border curves. It requires two curves to blend between, and creates either a fixed number of curves between them or divides by a defined distance.

Curves perpendicular to one surfaceThis node creates a set of linear curves normal to a surface. It requires the selection of a driving surface and a set of bounding faces to define the end of the projection. According to a selected height, the node will divide the surface along this height into a selected number points. It will then draw lines along the normals at this points, break the line at any obstacle and continue until the bounding surfaces.

Utility Nodes

These nodes in this group are mostly designed for use downstream of the rebar nodes.

Cut Rebar Container by PlaneThe cut rebar node cuts a selected rebar container at a selected surface. The result will be either the left or the right side of the division.

Shorten Curve from both endsThis node shortens a selected curve from both ends by the same distance.

Tag (any) Revit ElementThe tag element node creates a tag of any taggable revit element in the current Revit view. It requires a revit element as an input and if the tag should be horizontal or vertical or having a leader or not.

Select NodesThis set of nodes also comes with a very generic one: A node to select multiple edges. This allows you to select any number of edges from your Revit model and use them in Dynamo to create bars or even place adaptive components along them (see Image).

ABOUT US

PhoenixEOS is the combined solutions provider working on parallel lines of engineering and architecture. Based in India, PhoenixEOS majorly works with offshore clients due to the benefits of their mandatory needs in building and architecture solutions.